Wkingek



p 1927- o. B. WOODROW WRINGER Filed Oct. 15. 1924 Patented Sept. 6,1927.

UNITED STATES 1,641,516 PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER B. WOOIDRO'W, OF NEWTON, IOWA.

WRINGER.

,\ This invention relates to improvements in wringers for washingmachines of that type which is mounted on a vertical support and adaptedto swing in a horizontal plane and to be locked and operated in variouspositions of its swinging movement, and having the power'for operatingthe wringer applied through the said vertical shaft in the form of arotating vertical shaft. When the power is thus applied, there isconsiderable tendency for the wringer frame to rotate about the saidsupport on its pivotal axis, due to the torque between the drivingmembers. It often happens that if the mechanism for locking the wringerin its various adjusted positions should be released while the wringeris in gear, the wringer frame will be driven about its pivotal axis,which often results in injury to those operating the machine.

It is, therefore, the object of my invention to provide in connectionwith a wringer of this type improved locking mechanism, whereby thewringer cannot be swung about its vertical axis until after it has beenthrown out of gear, or cannot be thrown in gear until it has beenlocked.

A further object is to provide means whereby the wring-er may be easilyand quickly detached from its supporting memher so it may be'packed in acompact space while being shipped, or for removal for repairs.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof thevarious parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wringer mechanism showingthe manner in which it is mounted on the washing machine tub. a

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail end elevation of my improved mechanism.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, detail, longitudinal sectional view. 1 p

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the re verse gear housing with the endcover plate removed. a p

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5---5 of Figure 1.v

The numeral indicates a washin Inachine tub having a-base member 11 ansup porting: legs 12. 'Thesaid legs 12 are Application filed October 15,1924. Serial No. 743,767.

vided with cross braces 13, one of which is designed to carry a motorplatform 14 on which an electric motor 15 is mounted. A horizontallyarranged shaft 16 is mounted beneath the tub 10 and provided at one endwith a pulley wheel 17 designed to carry a belt wheel 18 operated fromthe motor 15. The shaft 16 has its opposite end extended into a gearcasing 19 located at the bottom and at one side of the tub 10.

The gear casing 19 is provided with an upright tubular support 20, thelower end of which comn'iunicates with the interior of gear casing 19.The upper end of the support 20 is provided with a bracket 21 rigidlysecured to the upper end of the tub 10. The said bracket 21 is designedto receive the upper end of the tubular member 20, as clearly shown inFigure 3, said bracket being provided with a slotted clamping member 22.A set screw 23 is designed to extend through an opening 24 in thesupport 20. The upper end of the tubular support 20 is designed toreceive a sleeve 25 which is formed integral with the cylindrical gearcasing 26. The sleeve 25 is provided with an annular groove 27 toreceive the inner end of the set screw 23. This pro vides means wherebythe gear casing 26 is easily and quickly removed by simply loosening theset screw 23 and lifting the sleeve vertically from within the tubularsupport 20.

The gear casing 26 is provided with a bracket member 28 formedcylindrical and has its outer end provided with flanges 29 to which thewringer frame 30 may be se cured by means of suitable bolts 31. Thisprovides means whereby the wringer may be swung in a horizontal planethrough an angle of 360,

The member 28 is formed hollow, the outer end of which is provided witha hearing 32 in which the hub 33 of the bevel gear 34 is rotativelymounted. The hub 33 is provided with a stub shaft 35 having its innerend flattened at 36, and designed to rest in acoupling member 37 whichmakes connection with the wringer shaft 38, said wringer shaft havingits outer end flattened at 39. The gear 34 provides means wherebyrotation may be imparted to the wringer shaft38,

The housing 26 is tically' arran ed sha rovided with a ver t- 40, whichextends downwardly through the slee e Q5 and has 34, 47 and 48 may beinserted.

at its lower end a coupling member 41, designed to coact with a similarcoupling member 42 mounted on the upper end of a vertically arrangedshaft 43. The lower end of the shaft 43 extends downwardly into the gearhousing 19 and is provided with a bevel gear 44. Said gear 44 is in meshwith a bevel gear 45 on the outer end of the shaft 16. The couplingmember 41 is rigidly secured to the shaft 40, while the coupling member42 is rigidly secured to the shaft 43. The said coupling members are ofthat type having coacting lugs 46 which are adapted to be disconnectedwhen the sleeve is elevated and removed from the tubular member'20.

The upper end of the shaft is provided with a bevel gear 47 designed tomesh with the upper face of the bevel gear 34. A bevel gear 48 is alsomounted on the shaft 40 and designed to mesh with the lower edge of thebevel gear 34. Each of the bevel gears 47 and 48 have their inner facesprovided with lugs 49 which are designed to coact I with similar lugs 50on a sliding sleeve 51,

which is spl'ined to the shaft 40. The sleeve 51 is provided with. anannular groove 52 in which is mounted a block 53. One side of thehousing 26 is left open so that the gears The open end is provided witha cover plate 54 having a hub portion 55 designed to receive a stubshaft 56 which is in alinemen't with the shaft 35. The inner end of thestub shaft 56 is J: provided with an enlarged portion 57 in which acrank pin 58 is mounted. Said crank pin is inserted in the block 58 insuch a manner that as the shaft 56 is rotated, the sleeve 51 may beelevated and lowered for the purpose of reversing the gear 34, bythrowing the lugs 50 of said sleeve into and out of operation witheither of the lugs 49 of the gcars 47 and 48 in the usual manner.

The shaft 56 is provided with a series of depressions ,59 designed toreceive a spring actuated pawl 60 so that the shaft may be retained inoneof three positions, either with the sleeve 51 at its lower position,or at its upper position, or at a position midway between the two inwhich case the shaft 40 is in operative relation with neither of thegears 47 or 48, and which I shall term the neutral position.

The outer end of the shaft 56is provided with a hand lever 61 having ahand knob 62 at its upper end. The hub of the .lever 61 is provided witha semi-circular rack .63

7 provided with a notch 6.4 diametrically op posite the lever 61. Theupper end of the bracket 21 is provided with an :annular flange 65,which FlS also provided with'a series of notches 66. The outer face ofthe cover plate 54 is provided with a pair of lugs .67, between which alatch device 68 is mounted having the form of a bell crank lever. Thehorizontal leg of the latch device 68 is designed to enter the notch 64when the lever 61 is in an upright or neu tra-l position, while thevertical leg 69 is designed to enter :the notches 66. The leg 69 isprovided with a handle portion 70 by means of which the latch isactuated.

The parts are so arranged that when the leg 69 is in one of the notches66, it is out of the notch. 64, but cannot be moved out of the notch '66until it has entered the notch 64. This provides means whereby the lever61 will always have to be moved to a neutral position with the wringerthrown out of gear before the latch device can be released from thenotch 66, thereby providing means whereby the wringer is positively heldagainst being moved from one position to another until the wringermechanism has been thrown out of gear, at which time there is notendency for the wringer to swing about its pivotal center.,"due to thedriving power of the shaft 43. Likewise the wringer will have to belocked in any one of its swinging positions of movement before thewringer can be set in motion.

By loosening the set screw 23 so that it disengages the groove 27, itwill be seen that the wringer may be easily and quickly detached fromthe support 20 by simply lifting it upwardly, causing the sleeve .25 tobe removed from the upper end of the support, the coupling members 41and42 disengaging each other. I

By providing the clutch member 37 I have provided means whereby thewringer may be easily and quickly attached ,or detached from the gearhousing without the R186 of keys or pins, which at the same timeprovides a limited amount of flexibility so that if the stub shaft andthe shaft 38 are not in exact alinement, they will be driven withoutbinding either of said shafts.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a tubular upright support, a earhousingihav ing a downwardly exten'ing sleeve rotatively mounted in the.upper end of said support, the outer surface of said sleeve beingprovided with an annular groove, a bracket for supporting the upper endof said tubular member .in fixed'relation totheupper end of a washingmachine tub, the upper end of said bracket being provided withaacircular flange having a series of notches in its periphery and also aset screw for entering the groove of said downwardly extending sleeve tolock :said sleeve against longitudinal movement, said bracket includingmeans for clamping the upper end of said tubular Inembenwa shaftextending longitudinally through said sleeve, the lower end of saidshaft being provided with a coupling member, a pair of bevel gearsspaced apart and rotatively mounted on the upper end of said shaftwithin said housing, a second shaft arranged transversely to the upperend of the first shaft, a bevel gear on said second shaft in mesh withboth of the first bevel gears, said housing being provided with meansfor detachably securing a wringer with one of its roller shafts inalinement with said second shaft, means for detachably connecting saidsecond shaft and said roller shafts, a clutch member splined to saidvertical shaft adapted to be moved to upper, lower and neutral positionsand adapted to throw one of said bevel gears into gear when in either ofits extreme positions of movement, means for moving said clutch membercomprising a shaft, means for imparting movement to said clutch memberas the shaft is oscillated, a handle on the outer end of said shafthaving a segment with a notch, a latch device pivoted to said gearcasing having one member designed to engage the notches of said circularflange of said bracket, the parts being so arranged that when the latchis in the notch of said segment it will be out of any of the notches ofsaid flange, orvice versa, the segment being so positioned that when thelever is moved to any other position other than its neutral position thelatch will be locked within any one of the notches of said flange.

2. In -a device of the class described, a tubular upright support, agear housing hav ing a downwardly extending sleeve rotatively mounted inthe upper end of the said support, a bracket for supporting the upperend of said tubular member adjacent to a washing machine tub, one end ofsaid bracket being provided with a circular flange having a series ofnotches in its periphery, a shaft extending longitudinally through saidsleeve, the lower end of said shaft being rovided with a couplingmember, a pair 0 beveled gears spaced apart and rotatively mounted onthe upper end of said shaft within said housing, a second shaft arrangedtrans versely to the upper end of the first shaft, a bevel gear on saidsecond shaft in mesh with both of the first bevel gears, said housingbeing provided with means for detachably securing a wringer with one ofits roller shafts in alinement with said second shaft, means fordetachably connecting said second shaft and said roller shafts, a clutchmember splined to said vertical shaft adapted to be moved to upper,lower and neutral positions and adapted to throw one of said bevel gearsinto gear when in either of its extreme positions of movement, means formoving said clutch member comprising a shaft. means for impartingmovement to said clutch member as the shaft is oscillated, a handle onthe outer end of said shaft having a segment with a notch, a latchdevice pivoted to said gear casing having one member designed to engagethe notches of said circular flange of said bracket, the parts being soarranged that when the latch is in the notch of said segment it will beout of any of the notches of said flange, or Vice versa, the segmentbeing so positioned that when the lever is moved to any other positionother than its neutral position the latch will be locked within any oneof the notches of said flange.

OLIVER B. WOODROW.

